Pointing out that the growing body of literature on the Holocaust has been accompanied by concern about how knowledge of the Holocaust may be conveyed, this paper argues that elucidating links between terminology and policy invites reconsideration of what Holocaust studies should accomplish. Close textual analysis of historical artifacts is used as a prelude to constructing alternatives to rhetoric that culminates in destructive action. Using Kenneth Burke's concepts of "telos" and "logology," it traces the biologically rooted terminology of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany as it built toward a crescendo of eliminating populations deemed racially inferior. The paper contends that identification of key metaphors--in this case, biological and medical terms--can reveal how linguistic resources that foster bigotry and genocide persist without necessarily becoming manifest in overt acts of violence. Topics discussed include: the philosophy and method of telogology and its roots in classical Greek rhetoric; the unfolding rhetorical telos toward genocide; and pedagogical applications and exercises--concrete methods for constructing responses to the terminological and ideological choices presented via the rhetorical telos, i.e., metaphorical redirection and comic reframing. The paper concludes that the challenge facing those who engage in Holocaust studies is to cultivate an accurate understanding of the past while trying not to relive it, and that telogology, by concentrating on evolving patterns of language use, offers a way to appreciate how momentum built toward a mentality that would treat genocide as a logical outcome and necessary consequence of racial doctrines. Contains 40 references. (NKA)